In SUPPORT of HB 271, AN ACT concerning Public Safety- Law Enforcement Diversion Programs rstreet.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rstreet.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Chair Brandes, Vice Chair Gibson, Sen. Baxley, Sen. Boyd, Sen. Bradley, Sen. Broxson, Sen. Mayfield, Sen. Polsky, Sen. Rodrigues, Sen. Rouson and Sen. Thurston:
Thank you for your time and consideration. My name is Camille Infantolino; I conduct research in the area of criminal justice and civil liberties for the R Street Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization. Our mission is to engage in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government in many areas, including juvenile justice. This is why SB 474 is of special interest to us.
Currently, the rate at which Florida prosecutes children exceeds any other state in the nation. In fact, juveniles as young as 14 years old can be transferred to the adult system and charged as adults under Florida’s direct file statute without any judicial review. While prosecuting children within the juvenile system can have detrimental implications for their future, such as increasing
COVID-19 Spurred New Alternatives to Arrest, But Can They Last?
WASHINGTON (Feb. 1, 2021) The COVID-19 pandemic has defined the last year of Americans’ lives. However, it was not the only thing to plague our nation in 2020. Incidents of police brutality motivated by racial bias drove thousands to the streets to voice their anger and disappointment with our system of policing, all in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.
In an effort to create safer policing practices in response to the pandemic, many areas across the United States adopted or expanded alternative-to-arrest policies. Led by an increased use of citation in lieu of arrest, these policies helped reduce police-civilian interactions and unnecessary justice system involvement.